“Dirty Feet” by Daly-Wilson Big Band, “Kitty With The Bent Frame” by Quincy Jones, “Jessica” by Herbie Hancock, and “Shook Ones” by Mobb Deep all walk into a bar. The result? One of the greatest rap songs of all time. Moreover, “Shook Ones, Pt. II” by the legendary duo sampled all these cuts and became one of the genre’s most iconic songs ever, especially for the East Coast scene. It’s a legacy that continues to endure to this day, as the LL Cool J-founded rap organization Rock The Bells recently crowned it the best beat of all time. Other competitors in the top five are A Tr*be Called Quest’s “Electric Relaxation,” Craig Mack’s “Flava In Ya Ear,” “Still D.R.E.” by Dr. Dre, and “N.Y. State Of Mind” by Nas.
That’s one heck of a New York bias, right? Jokes aside, this writer can’t help but agree: few tracks encompass the energy, technique, aesthetic, and cultural impact of East Coast rap and hip-hop at large as well as “Shook Ones, Pt. II.” Whether it’s the crisp drum pattern, the wailing sirens, or the most ominous key line you’ll ever hear, this song is legendary for a reason. One half of the Mobb, Havoc, produced this cut, and for those curious, the panel that judged these top 50 beats had DJ Epps, Cool of Cool & Dre, DJ Scratch, and Torae as its make-up. Funnily enough, RapCaviar‘s same list last year had RTB‘s No. 2, “Still D.R.E.,” as No. 1, whereas “Shook Ones, Pt. II,” RTB‘s No. 1, was their second pick. Watch the panel debate the list down below.
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Rock The Bells Panel Discusses “Shook Ones, Pt. II” As The Best Hip-Hop Beat Of All Time: Watch
“I just want to say how honored I am to have ‘Shook Ones, Pt. II’ by Mobb Deep produced by myself, voted number one hip-hop beat of all time,” Havoc expressed about the praise. “I remember being in the projects in Queensbridge. Me and Prodigy just being there trying to make something for the world to hear our voice. And here we are this many years later, being saluted and held as the number one beat and hip-hop greatest of all time. But I just want to say thank you to all the hip-hop fans, rest in peace to my brother Prodigy. He would be just excited— as excited as I am, and I just want to thank all y’all fans, man. Salute.”
Meanwhile, the MC and producer recently debunked a myth about this classic. “You know when a myth [takes] a life of its own?” Havoc said on SiriusXM’s WkndWork. “You just be like, f**k it, you don’t wanna hurt nobody’s feelings, so you just agree with the myth? I be like, ‘Alright, f**k it. Yeah, [the hi-hat on ‘Shook Ones, Pt. II’ is] from the stove.’ The truth of the matter is that the hi-hat that I used on the actual track of ‘Shook Ones’ sounds similar to a project stove.” For more news and the latest updates on Mobb Deep, stay logged into HNHH.
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